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The naming of Saligao Institute

[Fr Nascimento says: At the time of the Golden Jubilee of the foundation of the Instituto de Saligao (1979), Professor J Patrocinio de Souza, a Mollembhattkar, wrote an article giving his impressions on why this Institute was established by the prominent and wise men of Saligao - namely, Antonio Jose Souza Cordeiro, Vitorino Saldanha and Dr Rudolfo de Melo - at Arrarim and not in another place in the village, though there were quite a few who aired their differences at the time.]

by Prof J Patrocinio de Souza

The Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Saligao Institute evoke in my mind nostalgic memories of our beautiful village and of its unforgettable Institute. I lived in Saligao during the first critical quinquennium of the history of the Institute. Its image is indelibly stamped on my mind, for on my way to and from Mater Dei I could not help passing by the Institute four times on every school day.

I well remember the stir that the birth of the Institute caused in the village, giving rise to a keen controversy, which revolved round its location and name. The non-Arrarkars’ (Arradkars’) grouse was: Why should a club located at Arrarim be called the Saligao Institute?

Wedding at Saligao Institute. Sketch by Mel D'Souza

Though I am myself a non-Arrarkar, I can well afford to be unbiased at this distance and time. I would meet the non-Arrarkars’ objections with a counter-question: Where else in Saligao could the Institute have been located to deserve its title? Obviously, in some central no-man’s land, as it were; for if it had been located in some other ward of Saligao, it would have rendered itself liable to the same objection from people who did not belong to that ward.

Where in Saligao is there a suitable centrally located site? Of course, near the Aula. But the Institute building could not have been conveniently constructed by its side. The only alternative would have been to put up a structure facing the Aula by filling up good agricultural land up to the road level. But why should the founders of the Institute have incurred all the trouble and extra expense that such a foolhardy course would have involved!

The Institute could not possibly have been located anywhere else but in Arrarim, for it was built by Arrarkars with Arrarkar money. The founders could well have named the club the Arrarim Institute and snapped their fingers in the face of the non-Arrarkars. If, instead, they chose to name it the Saligao Institute it speaks volumes for their broadmindedness. The non-Arrarkars should, indeed, be grateful that though the Institute was established by Arrarkars in Arrarim, its doors are open to all Saligaokars, be they Arrarkars or non-Arrarkars.

It is in this spirit that the Golden Jubilee of the Institute should be celebrated. No matter who built it or where it is located, it is after all the Saligao Institute — a recreational, cultural, literary and social centre for the whole village. Vivat! Crescat! Floreat!